


Dean Winchester is Scrooged

by anyrei, Eyes_of_a_Tragedy, mugglerock, tfw_cas



Series: Destiel Advent Calendar 2019 [24]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: A Christmas Carol: Supernatural Style, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Xmas Present Ever, Canon Compliant, Christmas Fix It, Dean Learns A Lesson or Two, F/M, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE, M/M, Merry Impeachmas, Our Apologies to Charles Dickens Purists, Post canon, We Also Apologize for the Lack of Muppets, We Hope You Enjoy our Final Advent Fic, Yeah I’m Taking this Opportunity to Add Anti-Trump Tags in Celebration of His Impeachment, anyway, happy holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21913588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anyrei/pseuds/anyrei, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eyes_of_a_Tragedy/pseuds/Eyes_of_a_Tragedy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugglerock/pseuds/mugglerock, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tfw_cas/pseuds/tfw_cas
Summary: Dean Winchester can be a dick sometimes. He’s a damn good hunter, and can sport the “I saved the world” sash without any irony. But years of repression and internalizing has made him push away those closest to him.When Dean storms out of the bunker after a fight with his brother on Christmas Eve, he and Baby get stranded when a snowstorm hits halfway to town. And because he can’t have a normal story; an uneventful, human anecdote to bore people with, Dean Winchester is visited by three ghosts. Chuck really needed to stop with the overdone tropes. Fucking fanboy.Well, at least he didn’t have to do this in his robe and slippers.If you read this anywhere that is not ao3 this content was stolen without the author's consent! Pls don't support thieves! Read this on ao3!
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy & Sam Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Series: Destiel Advent Calendar 2019 [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558915
Comments: 35
Kudos: 87





	Dean Winchester is Scrooged

**Author's Note:**

> Our Notes are in the body of the fic at the end because, well, between the four of us we were friggin' verbose. So the actual word count for this fic is: 3750. Not whatever crazy number it is with our end notes.
> 
> **This work of fiction is subject to copyright, and I do not consent to it being reposted, uploaded to any site other than Ao3, or used for monetary gain without my written consent.**

**Day 24 - Dean Winchester is Scrooged**

Crowley was dead, to begin with. As dead as a… wait a goddamn minute, Crowley really was dead. Dean watched him die. That motherfucker was deader than dead. He was body-abandoned-and-essence-forgotten-in-another-dimension level dead. 

Dean shook his head as he stepped out of Baby, seeing as sliding off the road into a ditch from the black ice meant he wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. Dean rubbed his forehead, feeling for any head injuries as he approached the alive looking former King of Hell.

“Crowley,” Dean barked, “or hallucination-Crowley. What the hell are you doing here?” 

"What? No hugs or kisses, Squirrel? It's like you haven't missed me at all."

Dean rolled his eyes as he leaned against Baby’s hood. “The shit I’ve seen, you’re either a ghost, and don’t even begin to try and explain how that works, or some sort of brain hemorrhage induced hallucination.” He purposely felt his forehead again for emphasis. “What’s the deal?”

"Well, I was going to make a joke about your pretty little head, but…" The demon-ghost-whatever shot him a salacious grin. "Well, let's just call this old home week, in a single night."

“English, Crowley. And not the _Monty Python_ bullshit you’re spouting.” 

Crowley smirked. "Still cranky when you're sleepy. Good to know some things never change." The former King of Hell and current pain in his ass, approached and casually slung an arm over his shoulders. "We're going to revisit some of your greatest hits, Dean Winchester. Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride."

“Didn’t you get the memo? The Scrooge storyline is tired and should be put to rest with its author.” Dean folded his arms over his chest as he shrugged Crowley off.

A strong hand grasped his bicep, then the world swam as Crowley taunted him, "There's no rest for the wicked, love."

In that moment, like a bad dream, Dean was rushed through the air, too fast to make sense of anything around him. And then it all stopped. Dean shook his head to reorient himself. Crowley had taken him to… he had trouble being able to tell. So many of the motel rooms had this exact layout.

And there had been a lot of ‘em over the years. Then his younger self stormed into the room. Young Dean had grabbed one of Sam’s bags and ripped it open. Throwing every single item he pulled out of it to the floor.

Dean remembered this. It was right after he found out Sammy was plugging that bitch Ruby.

"Right there. Watch Moose's expressions," Crowley prompted, as Sam's emotions flickered across his face. At the time, Dean had only seen guilt and belligerence, but now… "Shame. Disappointment. Poor little Samuel was alone and needed someone to guide him. And when the person he normally turned to turned on him, well…"

As young Dean pulled out a string of Trojans, Dean cringed as his doppelganger said, 

_“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you aren’t trying to knock the bitch up too. Last thing we need is a fucking antichrist running around because you’ve lost your damn mind!”_

Even Crowley sucked in a breath at that. "Brutal, my friend. I may have always favored you over your brother, but even I would have been appalled at that bit of delivery, right there."

As Dean watched his younger self continue to berate and tear down his little brother, who sat silently and took it all, not once interjecting, Dean shook his head and waved his hand. “Alright. I get it. I don’t need to see anymore.”

Crowley stared him dead in the eye. "Don't you, though?" And they were spinning off again to what Dean assumed would be another grand fuck up.

When the world stopped spinning, he was back in the bunker. It could be any number of incidents here. And that’s when he saw Cas. Dressed in a hoodie and jeans, making love to a microwave burrito.

_No._

And then his younger self walked in, and broke the news to Cas.

_“You can’t stay here.”_

"Good ol' Wings. Except he was rather wingless here, wasn't he? Powerless, homeless, just… less. But you've always been a man divided." The bastard just stared at the broken version of Cas, pity and something more in his eyes.

Dean narrowed his eyes at the demon-ghost-whatever-pain-in-the-ass. “What’s your point?”

"Always at war with yourself. Even when you were howling at the moon with me, you could never pick a side." He sighed, turning away. "And this? Well, darling, this is probably your lowest low."

_"Have I done something wrong, Dean?”_

Not that he would ever forget the mindset of that moment. One of his many regrets. Lying to Cas to get him to leave. _“Yeah, this whole thing… all of it, almost killed my brother. You caused it.”_

_"I know that I'm useless to you as a human, but I hoped that you could make me stronger. That I could learn at your side."_ Cas turned away from him. _"Perhaps you're better without me."_

Young Dean didn’t stop Cas from leaving, and Dean himself couldn’t. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, an all too familiar departure. All too recent. 

Dean turned to Crowley and barked, “Take me back already.”

"Are you sure, Dean? Because there's one more featuring yours truly," the black-clothed jerk said, small smirk gracing his smug face.

“I get it!” Dean yelled as he threw a punch, that went right through Crowley. He shook his head and sighed. “I get it. I’m a dick. Just take me back.”

"As you wish," he relented, whisking him back to Baby's side. "I truly do miss you, Squirrel." Brushing a wispy hand over Dean's cheekbone, he added, "Give my love to the queen."

And in a blur of images and color, Dean was back, next to Baby, trying to get his stomach to stop lurching. When he looked up, Crowley was gone and Dean couldn’t contain the sigh. He let out a mirthless laugh.

“For some reason, I miss you too, Boris.”

"Pretty sure I only got the role of Ghost of Christmas Present because I have red hair," a familiar voice stated behind him. When Dean turned around, he nearly choked. 

_Charlie._

She was wearing her usual nerdy clothes, but was wearing a colorful flower crown. She held up her fingers, making the vulcan greeting. “Hey, Dean.”

Without missing a beat, he stepped forward to hug her, only to be rebuffed by the fact that she was, in fact, a ghost. “Charlie?”

“Let me make this _transparent_ for you, Dean.” Charlie grinned as she lifted her arms. “I’m the Ghost of Christmas Present, and I’m here to show you what’s going on right now. Just without any muppets.“

Dean furrowed his brow and shook off the weird comment. “I can probably tell you what’s going on. Save us some time.”

Charlie shook her head, giving him a sad smile. She touched his shoulder and, like before, the scenery changed for them. He found himself standing at a frozen lake, looking down to a pier. It was snowing, and it was freezing cold.

Cas was sitting at the edge of the water, snow surrounding him, like he had been sitting there, unmoving, for a very long time.

Charlie stepped beside him. "He’s paralyzed. Everything on his mind is about you."

They hadn’t spoken in a couple of weeks, and Dean couldn’t stop himself from approaching Cas. As he reached out to grab the guy’s shoulder, his hand went through him, like Dean was a ghost too.

Dean flipped around to face Charlie. “Make him get up. He’s gonna freeze to death.”

"I can't. We're just here to watch, Dean." She sighed and shook her head again. "Only you can save him... if you change your present."

“Cas!” Dean called out, trying to get the guy’s attention, with no luck. After several minutes of watching Cas do nothing, he huffed, “What’s the point of this? He’s the one who _left.”_

Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. “Oh, and _why_ is that? Don’t play the victim card here, Dean. You were a Scrooge to him. You pushed him away and treated him like your personal Dobby.” She stalked closer to him, pointing at his heart. "He is not invulnerable, you know? He can get hurt, and you hurt him badly. You taught him what family is, and when he needed you the most, you abandoned him.”

Dean scoffed. “So I’m not allowed to grieve? Or have feelings? Guess what? I’m not invulnerable either.”

"So instead of going through all your shit together, your answer is to push the person who loves you more than anything in the world, away from you?" she asked before she punched his shoulder. It hurt even though she was an almost transparent ghost.

Dean rubbed at his shoulder and sighed. “Like I said. He left. I didn’t kick him out.” _This time._

“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the fact that Cas lost his son. No matter what Jack did, it doesn’t change that he was Cas’s family. And he died right in front of him. And all the words you had left for your best friend… were accusations.“

Charlie touched his shoulder again and the scenery changed. They were in the bunker and Dean was standing in the kitchen next to Eileen and Sam. It looked like they were about to kiss, but Sam pulled away with a sigh. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I… I should try to find Dean. I’m worried about Cas. He hasn’t answered any of my texts.”

Eileen appeared crestfallen as she nodded and sank back. “Would you like my help?” she said as she signed.

Sam shook his head. “Just… just stay here, alright?” He left Eileen alone in the kitchen, and Dean could see the worry lines on Sam’s face.

Charlie sighed. “That would have been the moment Sam would have finally taken a path towards his own happiness. Sadly, he was too worried about you to take that road.”

Dean grimaced as he stared at Eileen, and just how sad she appeared. He turned to Charlie again. “So, what? This whole thing is to show how many lives I ruin?”

Charlie slapped the back of Dean's head. "No, this is a wake up call for you to change what’s happening. This is a second chance, and I hope you’ll take it."

“How the hell am I supposed to fix things?”

"You already know what you need to do." Charlie touched Dean's chest and gave him a sad nod. Dean noticed that she was becoming more transparent. "To say something cheesy… follow your heart."

Charlie's image flickered before she disappeared and Dean was back, standing next to his car.

Dean sighed as he leaned against Baby’s hood, trying to process everything he just saw. He pulled out his cellphone and stared at Cas’s name, finger hovered over the call icon.

Before he could press the button, however, an icy chill ran through him as another figure appeared in the road. She was tall and imposing, and the cloak she wore was one he hadn’t seen before. The scythe was all too familiar though.

“Dean Winchester.”

Chuck seriously had no imagination. “Billie. Isn’t Death being the Ghost of Christmas Future cliche?”

“Cliche or not, I have come here to show you _your_ future.” Billie waved her hand and they were no longer by the side of the road. 

They were standing outside a barn that looked oddly familiar, and as Billie pushed open the doors to walk inside, the silence was disturbed by a hacking cough coming from the vicinity near the back wall.

Dean looked at Billie, brow furrowed in bemusement. “Where are we?”

“Back at the beginning. In the barn where you first met Castiel after your rescue from Hell.”

“Why’re we he–“ he started as he stepped further into the barn. Dean was stopped dead at the image before him.

Cas was huddled up against the wall, wrapped in ratty, torn clothes, coughing up a lung into the newspaper he was using as a makeshift blanket. Skin sallow and pale, he was… Dean pushed away the word that flashed in his mindseye. _Dying._

“He’s… What’s wrong with him? Fix it!” Dean demanded.

Billie shook her head. “We are here to observe, not to intervene. Nothing can be done for Castiel. He’s been sick for too long, and without the money for treatment, all he can do now is hope for a swift death.”

Dean shook his head. “Take me back. Right now.”

“Not yet. You need to understand how Castiel came to be in this condition. How he sat in the freezing cold for so long, thinking only of you, that he developed pneumonia. He has been alone for so long that he can’t remember feeling anything but pain.”

Cas started wheezing, and another cough wracked his frail body, but this time it didn’t stop. Not until Cas fell back onto the ground, unmoving and silent.

Dean was instantly at Cas’s side, desperately trying to grasp his hand. “Cas… Cas, goddamnit no.” He looked up at Billie, unable to hold back the tear that escaped. “Help him!”

“He is beyond help now. His suffering is over,” Billie said, and she even managed to sound upset about it. 

She waved her hand once more, and the scene changed again. They were standing in a clearing next to a funeral pyre. A body wrapped in cloth was lying on top of it, and Sam was holding a lighter ready in his hand while Eileen stood back, watching.

Dean tried to grab Billie by the coat. He was never going to learn. “Take me back, Billie.”

“Wait,” Billie said, pointing towards Sam. 

His face was etched in sorrow as he ignited the timber, then stepped back to stand next to Eileen. She took his hand in hers, as tears fell down his cheeks. “Goodbye, Dean. I hope you’re at peace now.”

As the flames burned higher, Eileen turned to Sam and wiped his cheek gently with her other hand. 

“We should go,” she said, softly.

“If Cas had still been here, he could have healed him. Or maybe even stopped him from going into a nest of werepires alone.”

Dean sighed and shook his head. “You think I give a shit I’m dead? Get me back now. I need to find Cas.”

“You could still do with an attitude adjustment.” Billie crossed her arms and gave him a withering glare. “Maybe an eternity in the Ma’lak box would have helped you consider your actions.”

“You’re right. That probably would have been the better option. I get it, okay? My best friend is gonna die, and I… I can’t let that happen.” Dean rifled a hand through his hair. “Stupid Scrooge message received. Please, Billie. Take me back.”

Billie’s features softened, and with a snap of her fingers, they were back with his Baby. “Some things are too important to fuck around with,” she said, before disappearing in a gust of wind that sent some of the snowflakes swirling into the air.

Dean didn’t waste a second. He pulled out his cellphone and put in for a Lyft. After getting a driver to agree to pick him up at the nearest cross street, he made his way down the road.

He called Sammy next. The phone rang twice before his brother picked up. “Sammy. I need you to find Cas for me. Now.”

"Right now?" Sam didn't sound inclined to hurry as much as Dean wanted him to.

“Now!” Dean barked out. “Trace his cell phone and text me his location.”

Sam grumbled something about not being Dean's personal assistant, before hanging up with a "jerk."

A few seconds later a text came through, telling him Cas's whereabouts. He shot Sam a reply that simply said:

**Dean: Bringing Cas home. Kiss Eileen already.**

Cas was in Kansas, and his location was somewhere close to a lake. When Kumail pulled up in his land rover, Dean held out a wad of cash and said, “How much to drive me to a Walmart and then another location?”

Kumail’s eyes widened and, after a brief negotiation, Dean was on his way.

**…. :::: :::: ….**

When Kumail pulled up to the stretch of road that came to a dead end at the mouth of a small forest beside the lake, Dean handed him the wad of cash and clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for everything.”

He waved Dean off. “I can stay here, if you’d like.”

Dean gave him a grateful nod. “If I’m not back in twenty, feel free to go.”

After he grabbed the Walmart bag, Dean made his way through the small patch of woods before he reached the lake's edge. Snow was starting to fall, and thanks to the white blanket, he easily spotted a familiar tan coat. Cas was sitting on the ground, back towards Dean as he stared out at the slowly freezing lake.

Dean approached, and when he reached the angel, pulled out the fleece blanket he had bought from the store. He wrapped it around Cas’s shoulders.

Cas startled, looking up at Dean in shock. His lips were pale, and his nose and cheeks red from the cold. “Dean?”

Dean moved to sit next to Cas, flashing him a sad smile. “What’re you doing, Cas?”

Cas frowned and looked away. “I’m thinking... How did you find me?”

“Sammy traced your cell phone,” he answered simply as he leaned over to turn Cas’s attention back to him with a gentle grasp at his chin.

Cas swallowed visibly, his gaze settling back on Dean's eyes with hesitation. "Why are you here?"

Dean held his gaze. “I’m bringing you home.”

Cas’s frown got deeper before he shook his head. "I left for a reason. Remember?"

Dean let out a soft sigh. “I know. And I’ve come to tell you I’m sorry.”

Cas was clearly surprised hearing that, staring at him for a few moments with parted lips. He shook his head then and sighed. "Don't say that if you don't mean it, Dean. I can't do this again."

What possessed him, Dean would probably never know, but he grabbed Cas’s hand and held it. Taking his cue from Charlie’s suggestion, he said, “I’m sorry that I put my grief before yours. I’m sorry I tried to kill our son. And I’m sorry I made you think that you aren’t one of the most important people in my life.”

Cas's eyes widened. "Dean... why did you push me away?"

Dean sighed and looked down. “Because you terrify me.”

“I… what?” Cas tilted his head.

“The… the way you make me feel, the way you make me _want_ to feel…” Dean shivered. Whether from the cold or the confession he couldn’t be certain.

His eyes were distracted by the way Cas licked over his own pale lips. "How… how do you want to feel?" His voice sounded breathless and timid.

Dean sighed. “I don’t know if words exist to describe it.”

"Dean… I'm not good with references and innuendos. I need you to be clear. Do you want… do you want our relationship to change?" Cas inhaled an audible breath. "To something different than brothers?"

The words were caught in his throat, so instead of answering, he grasped Cas’s hand again and squeezed. He finally managed to nod.

Cas held his gaze before he mirrored the nod. "Okay… I'll come home with you." He squeezed his hand too, and Dean noticed how cold his fingers were.

Without hesitating, he pulled both of Cas’s hands close, and to his lips, exhaling heated breath on his fingers. “You’re freezing.”

"I'm cold," Cas admitted after a moment, like he hadn't noticed it before. "I think my grace is very low."

Dean helped Cas up. “Let’s get you home,” he said as he pulled his own gloves from his jacket pocket and handed them to Cas. Dean needed the movement for distraction, feeling a little out of place, unsure of what to do now that the pretty big elephant in the room had been unleashed.

Instead of pulling them on, Cas buried his hand in Dean's jacket pocket with a sigh. "I didn't even realize it was snowing," he breathed out, white fog coming from his lips before he looked up at the sky. Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes and hair, decorating his angel in white fluffy stars.

Deans breath caught in his throat at the beauty of it all. He lifted a hand to gently cup and caress Cas’s cheek. “Silly angel.”

Cas leaned into Dean's hand and closed his eyes, his body shivering. "I guess I need to start looking after myself," he murmured before he looked up at Dean again. "Let's get out of here."

Dean chuckled. “That’s my line.”

“And I’m stealing it,” Cas replied dryly before he started coughing. “I think I really wouldn’t mind talking more in a warm place.”

Dean nodded and pulled off his jacket, wrapping Cas in that as well. As they made their way through the forest, he was surprised to find Kumail still waiting for him.

Cas shot him a surprised look. “Who is this?”

Dean let out a surprised laugh. “The best fucking Lyft driver in the country apparently.” He opened the back passenger door for Cas and climbed in on the other side. “I can’t thank you enough for waiting, Kumail.”

The man waved him off and said, “‘Tis the season. Where can I take you fellas?”

“Lebanon, Kansas,” Cas replied before he smiled softly. “Home.”

Dean gave Kumail an address near the bunker and held Cas’s hands in his to try and warm them up.

At Cas’s small smile, Dean could no longer resist and leaned in close for a quick kiss. He could have sworn he heard Kumail mutter, “Finally,” but Dean was clearly mistaken.

**…. :::: :::: ….**

Kumail watched in fascination as his two passengers walked, hand in hand, away from the house he had dropped them in front of. He let out a soft chuckle and ripped open a king size Milky Way, threw the car in drive, and said around a mouthful of nougat, “And Scrooge became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city ever had!”

**The End**

_Authors' Notes (Cuz we too Verbose):_

**Any here:** Merry Christmas to you all! This Destiel Advent Calendar was a thank you to all of our readers, who supported us in the past with comments, kudos and recs. I‘m very grateful for all the love we got from you and although the time of our favourite show is coming to an end, I hope our paths will still cross in the future. As for destiel writing projects, there is still a lot more coming from mugglerock and me next year! So please subscribe to our ao3 or follow us on tumblr.

I also want to express my gratitude for two very special people in mugglerock and my life: Eyes_of_a_Tragedy (trex) and tfw_cas (ruk / rayray). Both of them are our regular betas now and they worked soooooo hard and fast and with eagle eyes, correcting all of our fuck ups. I love you guys and I'm so happy you wrote on this calendar with us.

I just noticed that I write "mugglerock and I" a lot cuz for me it feels like we are one unit. lol. So just a few quick words to my writing partner: We started writing in 2016 and since then we accomplished so much together. My word count on ao3 is at 2285506 now and it's all because you found me and kindly offered your time to help me out as a beta. Which quickly resorted into us writing together and also quickly spoiled me soooooo much that it's just super hard to write on my own now. I love you, my little creative muse, demon and partner in crime. 

**Frankie here:** My friggin’ heart. I wasn’t expecting that, miss any. Dude, you pulled me out of an almost decade long hiatus on writing, and now I’m in grad school for creative writing, something I never envisioned for myself until I met you. You have changed my life in so many amazing ways and the words don’t exist that truly capture my gratitude. I love you, also my muse, my angel, and my PIC. I can’t wait to see all that we create as our journey continues.

And seriously, so many thanks to R2. You twoo are not only phenomenal betas, but I count you both as true friends. People I want in my life for years to come. What we share is so much more than a working relationship, because of that closeness you’re both able to be brutally honest when we need it and that’s absolutely invaluable as a writer. Thank you guys for writing this with us. And in such a short amount of time. Any had this idea a week before December 1st, so literally, all of this content has been created in less than a month. 

Trex and Ruk, you make us better writers, and for that we are forever in your debt. And we love you for it.

As for all of our amazing readers, you guys are the real MVPs. Your support, your love, your kudos and comments truly helps fuel the fire with our writing. I cannot thank you enough and we hope you enjoy the final story for our advent calendar. Happy Holidays and Merry Impeachmas! ❤️❤️❤️

 **RUK here:** 2019 has been full of ups and downs, not least the recent depressing election result here in the UK. BUT... one of the absolute highlights was getting to meet Frankie and Any in the flesh. What a whirlwind of a weekend that was! 😀 Another high point has been meeting and getting to know Trex; sadly not in person, but online is the next best thing. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you all better, getting to write with you all, plus getting to read all of those fics before anyone else. (Beta’ing certainly has its perks). I feel truly lucky to count the three of you as my friends, and I love how our conversations can go from loving to funny, to bizarre, and back again. Plus the occasional obligatory burst of Misha spam. Anyway, helping to create this advent calendar has been so much fun, and I hope our readers have enjoyed reading it as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it. 

Merry Christmas, and I love you all. 😘😘

 **Trex here:** I'm Superhonored to be writing with the three of you. To think, a year ago, I was bombarding the anyrock back catalogue with chapter by chapter commentary… and then a joking comment about betaing became an actuality… and it's been so surreal to actually contribute to your process, to find such strong friendships… to find writing partners in the three of you.

ReiRei, thank you so much for having this crazy, wonderful idea and giving me very little time to think about whether I was actually going to participate, lol. Given more time to think, I probably wouldn't have joined in. And that would have been a damn shame because this has been such an awesome experience, and I'm so fucking proud of what I've accomplished with all of you! Thanks for baking cookies with me, cupcake. And I forgive you for murdering my love. ;P

Muggsy, thank you for challenging me and making me write smarter. You're so innovative and expressive and outspoken, and it's been a bone of contention between us at times, but I think it's also the reason we write such crazy dynamic fics together. You don't back down in our tug of war, and it gives me room to strengthen myself. I count the day you asked me to join your beta team as one of the best of the year. Because here I am, three friends stronger, with sneak previews of so much awesome writing! And I'm writing again… which wouldn't have happened without you kicking my ass. Seriously, thanks, babe. 😘

RayRay, I can't believe our paths hadn't crossed until this year! I bless these two for letting me play in your playground, for introducing me to such a beautiful person. You've been such a positive influence on me, and it's so strange to realize in less than a year I have become your writing partner in more ways than I could have foreseen. I am so freakin' stoked about your current project, and I consider myself so lucky to be getting the inside scoop! (Be jealous, y'all. You just don't even know!) I hope I get the chance to meet you in person someday, lovie. 🌈

That goes for all three of you! I LOVE YOU SO MUUUUUSSSSSHHHHH!

To the readers, I fully realize that you're probably reading this fic because you follow one or more of my coauthors. As you should! You have no idea the fics that are heading your way in the next year! I'm so psyched to see what you all think of them, and am only slightly bragging about getting to read them first. X'D

Any, Frankie, Ruk… and you - yeah, you reading this - I wish you the happiest of holidays and hope the new decade is full of love, laughter, and lots of entertaining fics! 💜


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